Rally for schools Monday in the Bronx, Tuesday in Brooklyn

1.
Rally against school closings.
Monday. 4PM.
Bronx County Courthouse.
Do whatever you do best:  attend, encourage others, publicize.

What if it rains? Maybe we will go into the building?
Rain or Shine, we will protest.

2.
PEP
Tuesday
Brooklyn Tech. 6PM.  Sign up to speak at 5:30. Line will form earlier.
Arrive in time to line up. The earlier, the better. For real. There’s less than 3000 seats. And there will be people on the other side of the issue. Public transport strongly encouraged.
It may be a long evening. But they’ve limited the agenda to the school closings and only a few more issues.

3.
Rally outside PEP
Tuesday
Brooklyn Tech. (outside, on Dekalb) 4:30 – 7:00 (likely times)
UFT Marshals will direct members to the rally.
We have an interest in keeping things orderly. We will have a crowd full of teachers (and students?).

2/3.
These are separate events. Logistically, you won’t be able do both. Rally outside. Or hearing inside. You should know in advance.
Subway is best. IRT (2,3,4,5) to Nevins. Or D to Columbus Circle and change for A, B, or C to Dekalb.  They’ve scrambled the trains in Brooklyn:  the D Does NOT Do Dekalb.

4.
Encourage members to call 311. Here are some good points:

• Parents, students, educators, administrators, community residents and the public at large are overwhelmingly and adamantly opposed to the closings. Thousands upon thousands of them have come out to public hearings to explain how their schools are working, educating our city’s most vulnerable students and making a critical difference in their lives.
• The schools targeted for closing educate a significantly higher percentage of high-needs students — English language learners, special education students and poor students – than surrounding schools.
• The criteria for closing schools seem to be a moving target, with different DOE measures being cited in different cases; and some of the schools on the list have made progress on every measure or received bonuses for improving scores.
• Rather than address the needs of struggling schools and provide resources and support, the DOE’s response is to walk away and shut down the schools. But this will simply displace vulnerable students yet again, pushing them further to the margins – and sets up the next round of closings. It does not address the real needs of high-needs learners at all.
• Tell the Bloomberg administration that these proposed school closings represent a fundamental abrogation by the DOE of its duty to educate all of our city’s children.

The full list of the NYC proposed closings:

• Bronx (7):  Columbus, Smith (partial), New Day, Monroe Academy of Business and Law, Global Enterprise, School of Community Research and Learning, FDA III
• Brooklyn (5):  Maxwell, Robeson, Metropolitan Corporate Academy, Academic and Social Excellence, PS332
• Manhattan (5):  Norman Thomas, Choir Academy of Harlem, Academy of Environmental Science, ACE, Kappa II
• Queens (3): Jamaica, Beach Channel, Business Computer Applications HS

The full list of the NYS “Persistently Lowest Achieving” (next round of threats)

• Bronx (7): Columbus, Kennedy, Grace Dodge, Jane Addams, Fordham Leadership Academy for Business and Technology, Monroe Academy for Business and Law, PS 65 Mother Hale
• Brooklyn (11): Sheepshead Bay, Grady, Dewey, FDR, Maxwell, Robeson, Boys and Girls, Metropolitan Corporate Academy, Cobble Hill School of American Studies, School for Global Studies, Automotive
• Manhattan (6): Washington Irving, Unity Center for Urban Technologies, Chelsea, Norman Thomas, Graphics, Bread and Roses
• Queens (10): Newtown, Grover Cleveland, Queens Vocational, Flushing, August Martin, Beach Channel, Richmond Hill, John Adams, Jamaica, Long Island City